This invention relates to a heavy-duty, durable table which has great strength and resistance to deformation under load, but which has sufficient flexibility to longitudinal torque that it has a tendency to self-level when set on rough surfaces, and which has latch mechanisms on the end of each table for aligned attachment of another table or a table extender.
Large showrooms and restaurants often have a difficult problem in arranging tables in various end-to-end configurations on floors which may not have perfectly flat surfaces. This is particularly a problem on concrete surfaces, which tend to be rought, or on wood, linoleum, or tile surfaces which tend to warp. On uneven surfaces, the adjacent table tops will not fit flush to each other when placed end-to-end, resulting in an undesirable discontinuity in the table top surface. In addition, tables placed on uneven surfaces tend to be unstable and rock back and forth on their legs. This problem is particularly aggravating for large showrooms which have two or more shows a night, where dinner is served at the first show but only cocktails are served at later shows. In this case, it is common practice to use tables having leaves to extend the width of the tables during dinner service, and to retract the leaves for cocktail service, thereby providing room for more tables in the showroom. The frequent movement of tables makes the problem of leveling the tables quite difficult. The construction and dimensions of the table of the invention allows slight irregularities in the floor surface to have essentially no effect on the stability of the table or horizontal leveling of the table top. Nevertheless, the table will not deform by bowing either along its length or width if a substantial weight is placed on the top. It is also common for showrooms to maximize the number of people who can be seated when the room is fully booked. In order to do this, small round tables are placed in the aisles which exist for passing between the ends of long parallel rows of narrow rectangular tables. These small tables, which must fit in a space about 18 inches wide, are generally quite unsteady, and are not sufficiently large to permit dinner service for two people. The present invention allows a table extension to be locked in place between the ends of the two tables.